Book-Review-The-Simple-Wild

 

The Simple Wild

by

K. A. Tucker

***

The Simple Wild, by K. A. Tucker is a story of reconciliation between father and daughter in the small fictional town of Bangor in Western Alaska.   Calla hasn’t seen her father (Wren) since she was two.  Twenty-four years after her mother left Alaska, Calla receives a message from a total stranger telling her that her father (Wren) is very ill.  That in a nutshell is the beginning of The Simple Wild, a Western Alaska romance.

Upon arriving in Alaska, Calla finds that her Toronto finest is not suitable for the wet muddy conditions Alaska presents.  Calla’s initial meeting with her pilot (Jonah -AKA, The Yeti) is strained, to say the least, and it takes a while before she sees, and understands, Jonah’s true personality.  A similar first encounter with her father ensues.  It is only after this very tentative beginning to Alaskan life that Calla grows to love her father, his friends and in particular the Yeti.

I enjoyed the humour sprinkled throughout The Simple Wild and constantly found myself chuckling at the repartee between Calla and Jonah.

I rated

The Simple Wild

as an enjoyable

five star read.

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

The Simple Wild

an average of 4.44 stars

from 19,662 ratings

and 3,502 reviews.

***

The Simple Wild

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 ***

Book Review-Chasing-River

Chasing River

(Burying Water #3)

by

K. A. Tucker

 

 

Chasing River is the third of the Burying Water series.  Set in Dublin we follow the adventures of Amber Welles and Ivy.  Ivy could not be more different in attitude and demeanour to Amber.

Having just commenced her European holiday Amber finds herself in some interesting situations in Dublin where schoolmate Ivy is working as a tattoo artist.

In writing Chasing River again Tucker focuses on one character from Burying Water.  This time it is conscientious Amber Welles, the Sheriff’s daughter.  Again there is romance, and villains all mixed together, however, the villains of Chasing River are not Russian but Irish.

 

The one thing I do like about KA Tuckers books is that she introduced all characters in book one and each book thereafter has been about a different character from book one, with just enough ties to the main Burying Water characters to keep the series alive.

As with all Tucker books so far Chasing River was, overall, well-paced and left us want to know more.

The only negative I can think of was what I will term a slow patch where I thought the author was going to relive every single part of earlier Burying Water books.  The background story would be helpful for those readers picking up Chasing River as a standalone novel.

 

I think

Chasing River

is a solid

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Chasing River

 an average of 4.17 stars

from 4,958 ratings

and 643 reviews

 

Chasing River

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book Review-Becoming-Rain

Becoming Rain

by

K. A. Tucker

 

Becoming Rain is the second (of four) in the Burying Water Series and my fourth novel by K. A. Tucker.  Unlike some other authors Tucker has let a respectable amount of time pass between Burying Water and Becoming Rain while still retaining most of original characters at least in the periphery of the plot.

I really enjoyed two things about Becoming Rain.  First, it did not rely on all the same characters and second, it could be read as a standalone novel. While there are references to the main characters from Burying Water they only have cameo appearances in Becoming Rain.  Russian organised crime which, from memory, was alluded to in Burying Water, also plays a major part in Becoming Rain

Becoming Rain features a new heroine and expands the role of one the younger males in Burying Water.   Becoming Rain is again well paced with no obvious lulls in the action.  Was it plausible?  Possibly, possibly not!  However, it was an entertaining read and that is what I look for.  Enjoyment while reading!

I rated Becoming Rain as solid four star read.

I think

Becoming Rain

is a solid

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Becoming Rain

 an average of 4.18 stars

from 5,560 ratings

and 643 reviews

Becoming Rain

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book Review-Burying-Water

Burying Water

(Burying Water #1 of 4)

by

K. A. Tucker

 

Put a very attractive girl, a troubled youth, and the Russian mob together and what do you have?  Answer….Burying Water.

Burying Water, the first book in a series of the same name, is a well-paced romance which combines all three elements to form another enjoyable read from K. A. Tucker.

One rainy night Jesse plays Good Samaritan and stops to see if a fellow driver needs assistance.  HER car has a flat tire.  Jesse changes the tire and receives a big kiss for his effort.

 

Shortly thereafter a customer asks if he would fix an aging classic car.  Jesse jumps at the chance only to discover that the customer, a Russian mobster, is married to the mystery lady.  From there the plot thickens.

Burying Water is written in ‘then’ and ‘now’ chapters.  When I first came upon this style of writing I wasn’t sure that I liked it.  However, in this instance it provides an excellent link in time and a means of unravelling the past and how it links to the present day story line.  To go into any more detail would spoil the plot.

The only other thing I will add is that I often opt for crime books….good guys and bad guys.  Burying Water does include this element, however, while the criminal aspects of the plot are central to the story it is mainly limited to violence and inferred criminal activities.

I have rated Burying Water as a solid four star read.

I rated Burying Water as solid four star read.

I think

Burying Water

is a solid

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Burying Water

 an average of 4.15 stars

from 12,165 ratings

and 1,396 reviews

Burying Water

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book Review-Paper-Daisies

Paper Daisies

by

Kim Kelly

I must confess to having read Paper Daisies earlier in the year and have only just decided to write about it…or rather not write about it.

I have read The Blue Mile and This Red Earth, both authored by Kim Kelly.  Both were enjoyable books and I rated each books as four star read.

Paper Daisies commenced at Christmas 1900, whereas This Red Earth was set at the end of World War I and The Blue Mile in the 1930s and World War II

As I said it has been some time since listening to Paper Daisies and I had forgotten the story.  I was beginning to think that I may need to re-read it.  Then in Goodreads blurb I spied those two words.  Berylda Jones.  With just those two words enough of the story came back to realise why I had not previously reviewed Paper Daisies.

This audio version will go down as not my favourite Kim Kelly book.  From memory, the story seemed disjointed and I simply could not get into to it.  After a few chapters I put it away.

Unfortunately I am one of ten readers who have rated Paper Daisies one star book.  For me that is an unfinished book.   Considering around 75% of readers have rated Paper Daisies as with three (or more) stars, it may a better read than an audio book.

I think

Paper Daisies

 

is a

read.

 

At the time of writing my review, other

Goodreads readers have rated

Paper Daisies

 an average of 3.7 stars from

166 ratings and 45 reviews

Paper Daisies

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

 

Book Review-He-Will-Be-My-Ruin

He Will Be My Ruin

by

K. A. Tucker

 

He Will Be My Ruin is the second of Kathleen A. Tucker’s books in as many months.   Again, I thoroughly enjoyed He Will Be My Ruin as I did Keep Her Safe.  He Will Be My Ruin is a fast paced story that did keep me reading well into the night.

Celine and Maggie come from different worlds however have been close     friends until their careers lead them on separate paths.  Celine’s death is the central point of He Will Be My Ruin.  Maggie returns to wind up Celine’s estate and the story develops from there.

With the help of a friendly Detective and his Private Investigator friend Maggie begins to examine the circumstances surrounding Celine’s death, which she thought unusual.

To say much more about the plot would bring out spoilers.  However, I will say that He Will Be My Ruin is close to the best mystery read this year.   There are potential villains a wealthy one and an apparently not so wealthy one, along with an elderly neighbour who I, at one stage, had pegged as being the villain.

He Will Be My Ruin had my attention on page one and held it until the last page and I am sure it could be translated into a screen play.

I am going to rate He Will Be My Ruin as a solid 4 star read.

I think

He Will Be My Ruin

is definitely a

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

He Will Be My Ruin

 an average of 3.95 stars

from 6,934 ratings

and 1,231 reviews

He Will Be My Ruin

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book-Review-Exhibit-Alexandra

Exhibit Alexandra

by

Natasha Bell

Exhibit Alexandra by Natasha Bell was the first of her works that I have read.  It was an interesting book however, I’m not sure that I will be chasing her other books as this plot was one which I have never come across before.

Exhibit Alexandra tells the story of a teacher’s wife, who left her career to raise a family.  One day when their children are in, or nearing, their teenage years, Alexandra disappears leaving her husband and two girls behind.  Police eventually decide that Alexandra has been murdered and scale down their search.

Alexandra’s husband is not as certain (as the police) and continues searching until he finally tracks her down.

To say much more will entail revealing spoilers which I am loath to do.

Narrator, Katharine McEwan, does a fair job of narrating of what is essentially, a slow storyline.

Simply because Exhibit Alexandra was a different story to those I usually read.  As stated previously, about other books, it may be a better read than an audio-book.

 

 

 

I have rated

Exhibit Alexandra

is still a star read.

At the time of writing my review

Goodreads readers have rated

Exhibit Alexandra

an average of 3.30 stars,

from 1,505 ratings

and 328 reviews.

Exhibit Alexandra

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon